


A Midnight Visit

by jacquelee



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: Community: gameofcards, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 04:47:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7252966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacquelee/pseuds/jacquelee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU in which Ivanova stays on Babylon 5 and is there for Day of the Dead to get a visit from Talia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Midnight Visit

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a writing battle at [gameofcards](http://gameofcards.livejournal.com) for the prompt Midnight Interludes.

Ivanova had gone to bed early, as always. She was vaguely aware about being in Brakiri territory for the night, but she really didn't care about G'Kar's fear mongering. It was just a religious thing, a superstition. 

She knew she must have fallen asleep as she was woken up by someone caressing her brow. Her instincts took over and she sat up, turning on the light and looking at the clock. Midnight. What the hell was going on? 

"Talia?" 

Talia was lying in her bed, as she had imagined so many times. But that was impossible. 

"You are dead!"

Talia smiled and nodded. 

"Yes, I am, sadly. It's the Brakiri. I am only here for the night. I came back to tell you how sorry I am." 

Whatever this was, the Brakiri or a trick or mind games, Susan couldn't bare to let that stand. 

"It wasn't you. It was Bester and the damn corps. You don't have anything to be sorry about." 

"I know. But still. I wish I could have fought it, I could have done something, anything. To stay with you." 

Okay, at this point, Susan didn't care if this was a hallucination or an actual second chance. Who knew, maybe the Brakiri could really raise the dead. Stranger things had happened here on Babylon 5.

She leaned closer to Talia and caressed her cheek, as she had done before, in that one cherished night they had had together. 

"You couldn't have done anything. They are too powerful. They always are. It was not your fault. None of it."

Talia smiled again. 

"Thank you. I think I really needed to hear that." 

She sighed and then laughed. 

"And thinking that I'm actually here to comfort and help you not the other way around." 

"Really? That's what this is about?" 

Talia shrugged. 

"I don't know, really. I guess. You get visited by the dead to get closure or to get comforted or I don't know." 

Now they both lay back in the bed and finally dared to embrace each other. They savored every single touch and kiss. 

"I missed you." 

It was whispered and barely audible but Susan knew Talia had heard her. 

"I missed you too." 

For a few moments they just lay like that, happy being together, relishing the long missed touch. Then Talia drew back a little. 

"Hi. I love you." 

Susan laughed. 

"Hi. I love you." 

"So what have you been up to these few years?" 

Susan drew in a big breath. 

"Do you have a few weeks?" 

"Only until sunrise on the Brakiri homeworld I'm afraid. Maybe the abridged version?" 

They laughed together. Susan could feel herself relax more and more. Whatever this was, she decided to make every second of it count. 

"Well, it was more of the usual, really. War, death, destruction. I died, actually. Or nearly died." 

"What?" 

Talia looked so shocked at that, that Susan laughed a little and bend over again to kiss her to assure her that she was still alive. Which in hindsight was a little ironic seeing that Talia wasn't but Susan wasn't big on analyzing this situation right now. 

"I didn't, obviously. Marcus gave his life for me." 

"Who?" 

"Right, you don't know him. He is, was, a ranger, one of Delenn's elite soldiers and messengers to fight the Shadows. He came to Babylon 5 after you… after you left. He had a crush on me. Like a huge one." 

"Oh? Well, I can understand that. Not that I understand much of anything else, but that, yes." 

They laughed again. 

"Anyways, he decided that it was a great idea to sacrifice his life for mine. I hated him so much for that." 

"I can understand that."

"Not that I'm not grateful for being alive but how can he make that decision for me? What the hell? It's not his place!"

She was working herself up and she knew it but she couldn't help it. But Talia snuggled close to her, kissed her and stroke her hair and slowly she relaxed again.

"Sounds like he could have been the one to visit you today too." 

Susan scoffed. That was one thought that hadn't occurred to her. 

"Gods no! I'm very happy that it's you." 

Talia smiled. 

"Yes, I am too. So what else did I miss?" 

"Let's see. I'm a captain now. In charge of this whole place." 

"Really? And you always thought you couldn't do it." 

Susan shrugged. 

"Sheridan is still here. He's the head of a new big Alliance and to be honest, he still makes most decisions when it comes to the aliens working together and all that, which I'm grateful for. Anything else, I can handle." 

"I'm sure you can. I always thought you'd make a great Commander of Babylon 5." 

"Did you?" 

"Of course. I always believed in you." 

They smiled at each other and then Susan embraced Talia even tighter. 

"Gods, I missed you so much." 

Tears that she didn't even know were there came flowing out. Talia just held her closer, knowing that words weren't needed to convey how much they missed each other and how happy they were to be together again. 

For the rest of the night, they snuggled and talked and laughed. Susan felt like she was reinvigorated and when it finally was time to say goodbye she did so with a much lighter heart. 

This Brakiri custom definitely had something to it.


End file.
